A teen from Coquitlam, British Columbia who managed to cause havoc with a Disneyland ride and harassed more than 20 people online has been sentenced to 16 months jail time.
According to News1130, the teen pleaded guilty to 23 counts related to “swatting” (tricking an emergency service to dispatching a response) in the US.
The teen was involved in a number of fake plots, including a bomb hoax that shut down Space Mountain at Disneyland. He even went so far as threatening a mass school shooting.
The 17-year-old boy, who can’t been named due to his age, victimized a total of 29 people, mainly girls and young women or men related to them in some way.
He often targeted female gamers; if they didn’t give him what he wanted (which was often pictures). He would make fake calls to police, phone their homes at all hours of the night, and cause other irritations by making false taxi and pizza orders to his victims’ homes.
He also caused police to swarm his victims’ homes; in some cases, people were led out of their houses in handcuffs in front of their neighbours.
The boy’s mother, who cannot be named either, believes the 16-month sentence is fair. “I think he needs a little more time in the youth centre.”
Before she sentenced him, Judge Patricia Janzen told the boy “a life as a loser” awaited him if he didn’t change his ways, adding that his so-called Internet friends didn’t care about him.
Beyond the 16-month sentence — eight of which he has already served — he will spend eight months under supervision in the community.
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